System and method for providing location-based data on a wireless portable device

ABSTRACT

There is provided a wireless portable device for providing location-based data to a user in a defined geographical area including a plurality of points of interest, the wireless portable device comprising a wireless transmitter, a wireless receiver, and an expansion bay with an attached expansion cartridge. The wireless transmitter can transmit location information to a wireless server over a wireless network. The wireless receiver can receive location-based data relating to a point of interest from the wireless server periodically and automatically, based on the location of the wireless portable device. The expansion cartridge can receive location-based data while the wireless portable device is in a low power sleep state. There is also provided a method for a wireless server to provide location-based data to a wireless portable device after a pre-determined period of time, including an interactive game relating to a point of interest.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to electronic circuits andsystems. More particularly, the present invention relates tocommunications systems for transmission of digital data.

2. Background Art

Events held at locales such as convention halls, trade shows, exhibits,fairgrounds, theme parks, and other large event spaces can provide aninvaluable centralized forum for professional, intellectual, and socialdevelopment. Whether keeping updated with trends in the industry,networking with peers sharing common interests, or simply having funwith friends and family, these event gatherings can provide exciting,memorable, and rewarding experiences when properly coordinated and wellorganized. Such events might be wholly contained in one large facility,spread out through multiple buildings such as adjacent hotels, or evenencompass hundreds of acres for a large theme park. When an eventreaches sizes of these proportions, it may be impossible for guests toexperience all the things happening in disparate locations at the sametime. Thus, guests will need to make some sacrifices and selectivelyplan where to go and which events to prioritize.

One common event-planning tool is a preprinted schedule. However, asevent planners and guests alike will undoubtedly attest, events do notalways proceed according to plan, and last minute changes are almostinevitable. As a result, the perfectly coordinated paper schedule onlyremains perfect at the time of printing; unforeseen circumstances mayresult in significant deviations, resulting in dissatisfaction amongguests, who feel helpless and without control. The lack of current,updated information to make informed decisions often leads to suboptimalchoices using imperfect data, wasting time and trying the patience ofthe beleaguered guest.

Another event-planning tool is a preprinted map, showing points ofinterest and perhaps referencing the schedule as well. However, as thearea of the event increases, an ever increasingly large and complex mapmay become more unwieldy and unhelpful to use than nothing at all. Thelogistical question of reaching a desired destination becomes a largerand larger headache for the guest. Without any knowledge of crowd andtraffic conditions, wait times, alternative paths, and other valuablenavigational information, a guest is left to haphazardly pick a randompath or ask directions from a bystander who may be just as uninformed asthe guest.

Additionally, there is the issue of tedium, boredom, and irritationduring waiting and long queue lines that are inevitable in any largeevent gathering. Although some guests may come prepared with material tokeep themselves busy during these involuntary idle times, many othersmay not bring such materials for various reasons. Such reasons mightinclude concerns of loss or theft, desire to reduce extra baggage,expectations of event planning efficiency, or simply forgetting to packsuch materials. Unfortunately, even the most thoughtfully planned eventsmight have unexpectedly long waits, and average or poorly organizedevents will obviously suffer even more in this regard.

Even if event organizers strive to improve service and satisfactionamong guests, it is often difficult to obtain solid data on how to mosteffectively improve. Survey forms are often used to solicit subjectiveguest feedback, but such surveys may be of limited usefulness due toguest apathy, polarized opinions, and inaccurate reporting. Othermethods of soliciting guest feedback might be too invasive ortroublesome to implement in a cost effective and sensitive manner.Discreetly obtaining measurable, objective criteria illustrating areasin need of improvement may allow event planners to address guestconcerns more effectively in future events, resulting in increased guestsatisfaction without a large cognitive burden on the part of the guest.

Accordingly, there is a need to overcome the drawbacks and deficienciesin the art by providing a way for guests attending an event toconveniently access relevant and up to date scheduling, navigational andentertainment resources to plan available time more effectively, thuspromoting guest satisfaction and providing event planners with valuablefeedback to improve service.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A system and method for providing location-based data on a wirelessportable device, substantially as shown in and/or described inconnection with at least one of the figures, as set forth morecompletely in the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The features and advantages of the present invention will become morereadily apparent to those ordinarily skilled in the art after reviewingthe following detailed description and accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 presents a block diagram of an expansion cartridge for a wirelessportable device, in accordance with one embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 presents a system for providing location-based data to a wirelessportable device, in accordance with one embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 3 presents a system for providing location-based data to a wirelessportable device, in accordance with another embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 4 shows a flowchart describing the steps, according to oneembodiment of the present invention, by which a wireless portable devicecan provide location-based data to a user in a defined geographical areaincluding a plurality of points of interest; and

FIG. 5 shows a flowchart describing the steps, according to oneembodiment of the present invention, by which a wireless server via awireless network can provide location-based data to a wireless portabledevice in a defined geographical area including a plurality of points ofinterest.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present application is directed to a system and method for providinglocation-based data on a wireless portable device. The followingdescription contains specific information pertaining to theimplementation of the present invention. One skilled in the art willrecognize that the present invention may be implemented in a mannerdifferent from that specifically discussed in the present application.Moreover, some of the specific details of the invention are notdiscussed in order not to obscure the invention. The specific detailsnot described in the present application are within the knowledge of aperson of ordinary skill in the art. The drawings in the presentapplication and their accompanying detailed description are directed tomerely exemplary embodiments of the invention. To maintain brevity,other embodiments of the invention, which use the principles of thepresent invention, are not specifically described in the presentapplication and are not specifically illustrated by the presentdrawings.

FIG. 1 presents a block diagram of an expansion cartridge for a wirelessportable device, in accordance with one embodiment of the presentinvention. Expansion cartridge environment 100 includes expansioncartridge 110 and wireless portable device 150. Expansion cartridge 110includes program code 120 and communications device 130. Wirelessportable device 150 includes wireless interface 152, display 153, andinput control 154. Link 151 provides bidirectional communication betweenexpansion cartridge 110 and wireless portable device 150.

Wireless portable device 150 could be a number of different embodimentssuch as a mobile phone or a handheld videogame providing a display andan input control. For the present embodiment, consider that wirelessportable device 150 might be a portable handheld videogame console.Wireless interface 152 might comprise a Wi-Fi network card capable ofboth transmitting and receiving data through Wi-Fi, providing onlinegaming, browsing, and other capabilities to the portable handheldvideogame console. An alternative embodiment might instead use a cardsupporting Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX).Display 153 might be a liquid crystal display (LCD) screen, and inputcontrol 154 might be a touch sensitive element coupled with the LCDscreen. Another embodiment might use an alternative display method, suchas an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) screen. Yet another embodimentmight use a different input control method, such as a traditional buttonand joystick setup. Regardless of the specific method being used, a useris enabled to receive some kind of visual feedback from display 153 andcorrespondingly respond or influence the behavior of wireless portabledevice 150 by using input control 154, which may result in datacommunications with a wireless network through wireless interface 152.

In the present embodiment, consider that expansion cartridge 110 mightrepresent a matching videogame cartridge compatible with the portablehandheld videogame console represented by wireless portable device 150.Expansion cartridge 110 might be connectable via a primary or secondaryexpansion bay on wireless portable device 150 via link 151, which mightcomprise an exposed row of electrical contacts held in place byfriction, for example. In that embodiment program code 120 mightcomprise, for instance, a read only memory (ROM) chip containingsoftware code that enables wireless portable device 150 to providelocation-based data, further explained in conjunction with FIG. 4 below.Moreover, communications device 130 might represent an infraredreceiver, providing a secondary communications channel to supplementwireless interface 152.

Expansion cartridge 110 may be configured into a number of otherembodiments as well, however. For example, communications device 130might be removed from the cartridge, sacrificing the secondarycommunications channel and leaving program code 120 to rely wholly onwireless interface 152 for network communications. In anotherembodiment, only communications device 130 might be preserved in thecartridge, forcing wireless portable device 150 to receive program code120 from some other location. This alternative location might be apreloaded storage device on wireless portable device 150, or it might beremotely retrieved from a network server using wireless interface 152.In yet another embodiment, the cartridge might not exist at all! For anembodiment lacking a physical cartridge, program code 120 might bestored on a network server to be downloaded on demand to wirelessportable device 150 via wireless interface 152. Link 151 might thereforerepresent a wireless network link rather than a physical connector ofelectrical contacts. Because such an embodiment lacks an expansioncartridge, it allows a user to participate in location-based datawithout purchasing or renting the expansion cartridge. However, forillustrative purposes, the present embodiment will use an expansioncartridge including both program code 120 and communications device 130as shown in FIG. 1.

With the expansion cartridge now introduced, FIG. 2 presents alocation-based data system for use with a wireless portable device, inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention. Location-baseddata system 200 includes expansion cartridge 210, wireless portabledevice 250, server 240, network 260, and infrared transmitter 270.Expansion cartridge 210 corresponds to expansion cartridge 110 from FIG.1, and also includes communications device 230, which corresponds tocommunications device 130 from FIG. 1. Wireless portable device 250corresponds to wireless portable device 150 from FIG. 1, and alsoincludes wireless interface 252, corresponding to wireless interface 152from FIG. 1. Link 251 corresponds to link 151 from FIG. 1, providingbidirectional communication between expansion cartridge 210 and wirelessportable device 250. Server 240 includes dynamic data 241. Infraredtransmitter 270 includes static data 271. Wireless links 239 and 249allow server 240 and wireless portable device 250, respectively, tocommunicate across network 260. Infrared link 229 allows communicationsdevice 230 to receive from infrared transmitter 270.

For the purposes of introducing location-based data system 200, only onewireless portable device is presented, communicating across a singlenetwork directly servicing all wireless portable devices. Othercomponents are also presented in single quantities, such as server 240and infrared transmitter 270. Alternate embodiments may use multipleservers to distribute the dynamic data processing workload and multipleinfrared transmitters to expand the coverage of a secondarycommunications channel. Additionally, for the sake of simplicity,wireless portable device 250 and expansion cartridge 210 have beensimplified to emphasize communication functions in location-based datasystem 200. More specifically, components corresponding to display 153,input control 154, and program code 120 from FIG. 1 have been omitted.

Continuing with the videogame cartridge example used in conjunction withFIG. 1, link 251 might represent a physical electrical connectionbetween wireless portable device 250 and expansion cartridge 210. Thus,according to the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, wireless portable device250 has two channels of communications available: wireless link 249 andinfrared link 229. Tracing infrared link 229 back to the source,infrared transmitter 270 can transmit static data 271 to expansioncartridge 210 via infrared link 229, where static data 271 can befurther transferred to wireless portable device 250 via link 251. Staticdata 271 might hold a number of preloaded items such as a uniqueidentifier, location coordinates, local map data, and other itemsrelevant to the immediate vicinity. Tracing wireless link 249 back tothe source, server 240 can transmit dynamic data 241 to wirelessportable device 250 over network 260 using wireless links 239 and 249.Data can also flow in the reverse direction over wireless links 239 and249, as indicated by the double arrows. Dynamic data 241 might hold alarge database of updatable content, further detailed in the discussionof FIG. 4 below.

Static data 271 is labeled “static” to differentiate itself from dynamicdata 241 in the sense that static data 271 might rarely or never beupdated, whereas dynamic data 241 might be quite frequently updated.Dynamic data 241 can leverage server 240 for computationally intensivedata transformations and network 260 for receiving updates from manyother data sources. By contrast, static data 271 may receive little orno computational assistance from infrared transmitter 270 and may onlybe able to communicate with expansion cartridges having matchingcommunication devices. Even this communications channel might be limitedto transmission only, as indicated by the unidirectional arrow ofinfrared link 229 in FIG. 2. Although the limitations of thisconfiguration necessitate cumbersome physical on-site replacement orreprogramming to update static data 271, the very same limitations allowthe implementation of the secondary communications channel to remainsimple.

For example, infrared transmitter 270 might simply transmit a shortmessage signal of static data on repeated intervals, without regard tothe inner workings of location-based data system 200. Resulting savingson development costs and effort might then be more effectivelyredirected to improving network 260, the primary communications channel.Alternative embodiments might specify a more fully featured secondarycommunications channel using bidirectional communication. The robustnessof network 260, the desirability of a redundant communications link, andbudget constraints might dictate the particular implementation of asecondary communications channel, if it is implemented at all.

For the present example, static data 271 might contain only a uniqueidentifier associated with infrared transmitter 270. Infraredtransmitter 270 thus transmits this unique identifier periodically,perhaps once every minute, to any expansion cartridge listening with acommunications device. In this case, expansion cartridge 210 does havethe necessary communications device 230 to listen. Using infrared link229 and link 251, communications device 230 can relay the uniqueidentifier to wireless portable device 250. In conjunction with dataloaded on wireless portable device 250 or previously retrieved fromdynamic data 241, wireless portable device 250 can associate the uniqueidentifier with a specific defined area such as the range defined by thereach of infrared link 229, thus establishing the current location ofwireless portable device 250 irrespective of the availability ofwireless link 249. In this manner, the determined location of wirelessportable device 250 may be updated more accurately than using network260 alone.

In some embodiments, this particular relay of updated data might also beaccomplished even when wireless portable device 250 is in a low powersleep state. One method this might be accomplished is to simplytemporarily wake up wireless portable device 250 as needed, leaving itin the low power sleep state otherwise. For example, expansion cartridge210 might send a signal through link 251 to wake up portable device 250to full power, transfer the update data, and signal wireless portabledevice 250 to reenter the sleep mode after processing of the update datais complete. If wireless portable device 250 only receives the updatedata instead, it might process the data after it is explicitly woken upfrom the sleep state.

Shifting focus to the wireless data path, server 240 might represent acomputer owned by the event organizers, located in a data centeraccessible to event organizers but isolated from ordinary guests.Dynamic data 241 might be changed and updated often as the “dynamic”name suggests. For example, intervention of the event organizers, dataresponses received over network 260, and logic contained in server 240might modify the data contained in dynamic data 241. Network 260 enablessuch data to travel to and from server 240, wireless portable device250, and any other wireless enabled device. This wireless interactionand dynamic data generation will be explained in more detail with thedescription of FIG. 4 below.

Moving to FIG. 3, FIG. 3 presents a location-based data system for usewith a wireless portable device, in accordance with another embodimentof the present invention. Although FIG. 3 depicts areas and distances,FIG. 3 is not drawn to scale and is spatially organized to facilitatediscussion of the location-based data system. Location-based data system300 includes server 340, wireless portable device 350 b, network 360,infrared transmitters 370 a and 370 b, defined geographical areas 390 aand 390 b, and walkways 399 a and 399 b. Defined geographical area 390 aincludes wireless hotspot 391 a, attraction 392 a, restaurant 393 a, andwireless portable device 350 a. Defined geographical area 390 b includeswireless hotspot 391 b, attraction 392 b and restaurant 393 b. Althoughthe sensitivity of receiving wireless antennae may change the effectiverange of the wireless hotspots and thus the size of the definedgeographical areas, these effects shall be ignored to simplify thediscussion of FIG. 3.

Many components in FIG. 3 correspond to components in FIG. 2. Forexample, server 340 including dynamic data 341 corresponds to server 240including dynamic data 241 in FIG. 2. Network 360 corresponds to network260 in FIG. 2. Infrared transmitter 370 a including static data 371 acorresponds to infrared transmitter 270 including static data 271 inFIG. 2. Similarly, infrared transmitter 370 b including static data 371b also corresponds to infrared transmitter 270 including static data 271in FIG. 2. Infrared link 329 a and infrared link 329 b correspond toinfrared link 229 in FIG. 2. Wireless link 349 a and 349 b correspondsto wireless link 249 in FIG. 2. Wireless link 339 corresponds towireless link 239 in FIG. 2.

Wireless hotspot 391 a communicates with a receiver of portable device350 a, attraction 392 a, and restaurant 393 a using wireless links 381a, 382 a, and 383 a, respectively. Wireless link 349 a enables abackhaul connection to the broader network, network 360. Similarly,wireless hotspot 391 b communicates with attraction 392 b and restaurant393 b using wireless links 382 b and 383 b, respectively. However, sinceportable device 350 b is outside defined geographical area 390 b, itcannot communicate with wireless hotspot 391 b. Wireless link 349 benables a backhaul connection to network 360. From network 360, data cantravel through wireless link 339 to be exchanged with server 340.Walkways 399 a and 399 b provide physical rather than data pathwaysbetween defined geographical areas 390 a and 390 b.

Now, in the specific embodiment of FIG. 3, the setting for the event isnarrowed down to represent a theme park scenario, with two distinctlocations being represented by defined geographical areas 390 a and 390b. Alternative embodiments might include many more defined geographicalareas, but FIG. 3 is restricted to two areas to keep the discussionmanageable.

Defined geographical area 390 a might represent, for example, a piratethemed section of the theme park. Thus, attraction 392 a might be astaged pirate ship show, and restaurant 393 a might be a pirate themedseafood restaurant. Defined geographical area 390 b might represent anouter space themed section of the theme park. Thus, attraction 392 bmight be a space themed rollercoaster, and restaurant 393 b might bestyled as a futuristic diner. Walkways 399 a and 399 b might representwalking paths between the two areas.

Alternative embodiments might use a similar arrangement to FIG. 3,substituting different points of interest for attractions 392 a and 392b and restaurants 393 a and 393 b. For example, an industry tradeexhibition might feature exhibitor booths instead of attractions, andguest speaker lectures instead of restaurants. Defined geographical area390 a and 390 b might represent two separate hotels, and walkways 399 aand 399 b might be replaced with a shuttle service between the twohotels. Infrared transmitters 370 a and 370 b might be removed, sincelocation tracking outside the hotels may be unnecessary. Alternatively,the infrared transmitters might be relocated within the definedgeographical areas, providing more accurate indoor location detectionthan using wireless hotspots alone.

Now that some example configurations of location-based data systems havebeen presented, FIG. 4 shows a flowchart describing the steps, accordingto one embodiment of the present invention, by which a wireless portabledevice can provide location-based data to a user in a definedgeographical area including a plurality of points of interest. Certaindetails and features have been left out of flowchart 400 that areapparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art. For example, a stepmay comprise one or more substeps or may involve specialized equipmentor materials, as known in the art. While steps 410 through 430 indicatedin flowchart 400 are sufficient to describe one embodiment of thepresent invention, other embodiments of the invention may utilize stepsdifferent from those shown in flowchart 400.

Referring to step 410 of flowchart 400 in FIG. 4 and location-based datasystem 300 of FIG. 3, step 410 of flowchart 400 comprises wirelessportable device 350 a transmitting location information over wirelessnetwork 360 to server 340, the location information indicative of alocation within defined geographical area 390 a. In one embodiment, thelocation information is determined by the wireless portable device.Since FIG. 3 depicts multiple wireless portable devices, both wirelessportable device 350 a and wireless portable device 350 b will attempt tocarry out step 410, although only wireless portable device 350 a will besuccessful due to wireless link 381 b being out of range for wirelessportable device 350 b. Executing program code accessible from thewireless portable devices might initiate this step. To simplify therepresentation of FIG. 3, expansion cartridge 110 shown in FIG. 1 isintegrated into wireless portable devices 350 a and 350 b, including theprogram code and the communications device, which is an infraredreceiver in this example. Thus, referring to the embodiment of FIG. 3,the program is already resident on the wireless portable device andreadily executable. Alternative embodiments might separate the locationof the program code, rendering step 410 more involved. For instance, theprogram code might be resident on server 340, downloadable to thewireless portable devices over network 360. Once the program code isexecuted, the wireless portable device identifies its location and sendsthe location data to server 340. In the present embodiment, thisidentification is made possible by the unique identifier associated withconnected wireless hotspot 391 a.

At step 420 of flowchart 400, wireless portable device 350 aperiodically and automatically receives location-based data from server340 over wireless network 360. The location-based data is based on thelocation of wireless portable device 350 a as well as the plurality ofpoints of interest within defined geographic area 390 a, includingattraction 392 a and restaurant 393 a. Of course, the wireless portabledevices can send and receive on demand as well, but the automaticstreaming of location-based data without user intervention is one of thesteps that merit further discussion. Continuing with the theme parkexample, consider that a guest named Amy is holding wireless portabledevice 350 a while exploring the park. While Amy is within range ofwireless hotspot 391 a, the program code executing on wireless portabledevice 350 a might periodically request an update from server 340 onceevery minute. Alternatively, server 340 might send periodicnotifications to all listening wireless portable devices, or acombination of both requests and notifications might be used. Regardlessof the particular implementation, each wireless portable device will beable to receive automatic updates on some periodic, regular basis whilewireless connectivity is present.

Many different types of location-based data might be provided to Amy.“Location-based” is used here in the sense that the data could depend onthe location of the associated wireless portable device. However, thedata could also be time sensitive, or it could depend on some othervariable, external to the wireless portable device and retrieved fromthe wireless network. Location specific data such as positioning andmaps will be discussed in greater detail in conjunction with FIG. 4.Time sensitive data could include schedules or time limited promotions.External variables could cover details relating to points of interestwithin a defined geographic area such as wait and queue times, maptraffic, restaurant reservation status, or any other item that might beaccessible from network 360. For example, attraction 392 a, the pirateship stage show, might automatically calculate the estimated queue waittime based on sensors placed along the queue and transmit that wait timeover wireless link 382 a to be stored in dynamic data 341 on server 340.When an automatic update occurs, Amy will be able to check how long theestimated wait time at attraction 392 a will be, and she can decidewhether it is worth spending 30 minutes in line to see the pirate shipattraction. Similarly, restaurant 393 a, the pirate themed seafoodrestaurant, might send an estimated wait time to server 340 based onguest seating turnover times and customer queue length. Using thisdynamically updated data, Amy can make informed decisions on how tospend her time, helping her feel in control and making the most of herlimited available time.

Theme park operations staff might also decide to broadcast promotionalmaterials relevant to the time and location of the wireless portabledevice. For example, if restaurant 393 a is not operating at optimumcapacity, park operations staff might instruct server 340 to send apromotional message or coupon to selected guests within definedgeographical area 390 a, offering them a free shrimp cocktail with theirdinner, valid from 6:00 to 8:00 pm. By simply carrying a compatiblewireless portable device, guests can easily receive offers relevant tothe present time and location while park operations can conductpromotional campaigns more effectively to targeted audiences.

Although the previous examples have limited the coverage of thelocation-based data received on wireless portable device 350 a to itemswithin defined geographical area 390 a, coverage could potentiallyextend beyond this area. Depending on the available wireless bandwidth,the size of the event, and the comprehensiveness of coverage desired,automatic updates might only concern immediate surroundings, the entiretheme park, or something in between. However, to avoid overwhelming theuser with information overload, automatic updates might only cover areasonable surrounding area, leaving detailed long distance queries forrequests on demand. For example, if the theme park of the presentexample spread out to numerous other defined geographical areas notdepicted in FIG. 3, it might be reasonable to also include informationabout adjacent areas in automatic updates. In that particularembodiment, the automatic updates might also include items from definedgeographical area 390 b, such as wait times for attraction 392 b, thespace themed rollercoaster, and wait times for restaurant 393 b, thefuturistic diner. Traffic conditions provided by sensors on walkway 399a and 399 b might also help plan any routes to and from definedgeographical areas 390 a and 390 b.

Shifting to wireless portable device 350 b, this particular unit mightbe carried by Ben, a friend of Amy. However, unlike Amy, Ben does nothave an available wireless link to receive dynamic data. This does notmean that Ben is completely out of options, depending on how much timehas passed since Ben last received an automatic update. Although Benwill neither be able to request demands from server 340 nor receivecurrent automatic updates, the last received automatic update canprovide at least a somewhat current representation of the state of thetheme park. Infrared transmitter 370 b might also provide a moreaccurate position estimate, the process of which shall be discussed ingreater detail with FIG. 4. Wireless portable device 350 b can stilltherefore provide functional but somewhat degraded interactivity for Benusing the outdated data. Thus, Ben can still interact with wirelessportable device 350 b in an offline state, but some features requiringaccess to network 360 may be unavailable or less accurate.

Once Ben reenters an area with wireless reception such as definedgeographical areas 390 b and 390 a, wireless portable device 350 b mightrequest an update from server 340, filling in the data gaps due to beingdisconnected from network 360. Thus, wait times for attraction 392 b andrestaurant 393 b might be updated to reflect current conditions, andlocation-based data associated with defined geographical area 390 bmight be downloaded. For example, an outer space shooting game or aninformational astronomy video might be downloaded to wireless portabledevice 350 b. If the shooting game or astronomy video already exists onthe device, the download step might be skipped to save networkbandwidth.

By leveraging these automatic updates, the wireless portable devicemight provide an interactive map with routing, scheduling, and eventreservation capabilities. For example, a map showing the surroundingarea might be displayed on the wireless portable device. If the userdesires to zoom out or view a different area of the park, such a requestcould be sent to server 340, which would respond with the requested datapulled from dynamic data 341. Portions of the map might also bepreloaded onto the wireless portable device to reduce the amount of datato transfer. The map might be configurable to filter certain informationand focus only on things the user is interested in. For example, a pointof interest dialog might be selectable on the side, allowing a user todisplay only restroom facilities, restaurants, automatic tellermachines, attractions by category, or other points of interest.

Additionally, configurable routing capabilities might be built into themap, allowing a user to plan the most optimal route based on somedesired characteristics. For example, a user might be interested in thefastest way of traveling from defined geographical area 390 a to definedgeographical area 390 b. Server 340 could query the traffic conditionsof walkways 399 a and 399 b, providing an optimal path that is estimatedto require the least amount of time. For example, if the traffic inwalkway 399 b is particularly crowded even if the path itself isshorter, the interactive map might recommend the user to use walkway 399a instead since it might result in a shorter estimated time.Alternatively, the user might be interested in seeing a parade on theway even though it might take longer. Server 340 might then query thetheme park schedule, determining that a parade will start at 5:00 pmalong walkway 399 b only. Thus, the interactive map might inform theuser that departing for walkway 399 b at 4:30 pm would allow for optimalviewing of the parade. The implementation of such graph optimizationalgorithms is well known in the art and can be engineered to meet theneeds of the particular event.

In addition to or in conjunction with the mapping and routing abilitiesof the program code, scheduling capabilities might also provide the userwith an additional layer of information to aid in planning. For example,daily scheduled events could be provided in a configurable timeline,sorted by proximity, popularity, event category, or some other desiredcharacteristic. A user might select a number of events that interest himfrom a list, and the program code might organize a number of alternativeschedules and itineraries based on the preferences of the user. In thismanner, a user will be easily able to discern what is available, whethernear or far, right now or into the future.

Besides communicating with server 340, the wireless portable devicesmight interact with other devices over wireless network 360, directly orwith the aid of server 340. For example, such interactivity mightcomprise communications between fellow users of the wireless portabledevices. Recall Amy and Ben, the two friends who are in different areas.They may wish to meet up somewhere for coffee and a chat. Amy and Benmight have registered user accounts on server 340, mutually adding eachother to a “friends list.” The program code executing on wirelessportable devices 350 a and 350 b might then read this friends list andallow designated “friends” to chat with each other, locate other friendson a map, and coordinate meetings by sending queries to server 340 ordirectly to each other over network 360. Thus, Amy and Ben could chatwith each other, agree to meet at restaurant 393 b, and then obtain aroute to arrive there based on their current locations.

An alternative interaction might comprise a network based tablereservation system for registered users, provided by restaurants 393 aand 393 b. Restaurants 393 a and 393 b might provide server 340 withupdated reservation data, and wireless portable devices 350 a and 350 bmight be able to query and reserve tables from server 340.

At step 430 of flowchart 400, wireless portable device 350 acommunicates with an expansion cartridge to connected to an expansionbay to receive static data 371 from infrared transmitter 370 a viainfrared link 329 a while wireless portable device 350 a is in a lowpower sleep state. As mentioned, the depiction of wireless portabledevice 350 a has been simplified to integrate expansion cartridge 210from FIG. 2. Furthermore, the infrared reception range of infraredtransmitter 370 a is omitted from FIG. 3 to simplify the diagram.Additionally, the sleep state of wireless portable device 350 a can behandled by the methods in the discussion above concerning static data271.

Using a similar method as done for wireless link 381 a, wirelessportable device 350 a might match a unique identifier associated withinfrared transmitter 370 a to an infrared reception area retrieved froma database of known infrared transmitters. The database lookup ofinfrared transmitter 370 a and its broadcasting range might moreprecisely locate wireless portable device 350 a in the southern overlapof defined geographical area 390 a. Wireless portable device 350 b mightbe able to proceed similarly with respect to the infrared link 329 b,but as the dotted line shows, wireless link 381 b is unavailable due towireless portable device 350 b being outside defined geographical area390 b. Thus, in order to determine position, the database establishingrelationships between infrared transmitter unique identifiers andassociated location areas will need to be preloaded or previouslydownloaded from a once operational wireless link 381 b. If this databasedata is available, wireless portable device 350 b will be able to atleast update its location as somewhere within the range of infraredtransmitter 370 b, but outside of any defined geographical area.

Although the present embodiment does not specify additional data thatmight be stored in static data 371 b, other data might be transferredover infrared link 329 b in alternative embodiments. For example, staticdata 371 b might also include a map of nearby points of interest, suchas restroom facilities, automatic teller machines, and wirelesshotspots. However, data items that might be updated on a regular basissuch as attraction and restaurant wait times might be kept off staticdata 371 b, as it may be impractical to keep the static data frequentlyupdated as previously discussed. Additionally, this discussion of staticdata 371 b may also apply to static data 371 a.

Now that the capabilities of the wireless portable device have beendiscussed in some detail, now might be a good time to transition to FIG.5 focusing on the server. FIG. 5 shows a flowchart describing the steps,according to one embodiment of the present invention, by which awireless server via a wireless network can provide location-based datato a wireless portable device in a defined geographical area including aplurality of points of interest. Certain details and features have beenleft out of flowchart 500 that are apparent to a person of ordinaryskill in the art. For example, a step may comprise one or more substepsor may involve specialized equipment or materials, as known in the art.While steps 510 through 540 indicated in flowchart 500 are sufficient todescribe one embodiment of the present invention, other embodiments ofthe invention may utilize steps different from those shown in flowchart500.

Referring to step 510 of flowchart 500 in FIG. 5 and location-based datasystem 300 of FIG. 3, step 510 of flowchart 500 comprises server 340receiving locating information from wireless portable device 350 a overwireless network 360, the location information indicative of a locationwithin defined geographical area 390 a. In other words, step 510 is thecomplement to step 410, but with the server as the acting party. Thus,the reader is directed to the discussion of step 410 above for detailsabout step 510.

Continuing with step 520 of flowchart 500 in FIG. 5, step 520 comprisesestablishing the location of wireless portable device 350 a withindefined geographical area 390 a with respect to the plurality of pointsof interest, including attraction 392 a and restaurant 393 a.Establishing the present location may be one important element inbuilding a context that shapes the types of interactivity provided tothe user. As an event grows larger and encompasses more area totraverse, the importance of establishing a location growsproportionally. This is especially true in the present embodimentrepresented in FIG. 3, where the event is a large theme park withmultiple areas.

At step 530 of flowchart 500, wireless network 360 determines whetherwireless portable device 350 a is at one of the plurality of points ofinterest for more than a pre-determined period of time. For example,assuming that wireless portable device 350 a were able to calculate itslocation to some precision within defined geographical area 390 a, itmight be able to report that wireless portable device 350 a has moved toattraction 392 a and has been idling for more than a pre-determinedperiod of 10 minutes.

At step 540 of flowchart 500, if the result of step 530 is positive,then wireless network 360 provides wireless portable device 350 a withinteractive game data relating to attraction 392 a. For example, apirate themed videogame might be automatically downloaded to matchpirate attraction 392 a, providing the option for a light diversion.Trivia games might be downloaded, challenging guests to answer questionsabout the history of the pirate attraction in the theme park. Ifwireless portable device 350 a is capable of video playback, teasertrailers for the next sequel of the theme park's long running piratemovie franchise might be provided for guests to view. Similarly, ifwireless portable device 350 b is detected to be at attraction 392 b formore than 10 minutes, an outer space shooting game might beautomatically downloaded, outer space trivia might be offered, and atrailer for an astronaut drama movie might be presented. Thus, step 540in combination with step 530 can detect periods of inactivity andprovide automatic relief in the form of location-based entertainmentsuch as videogames, trivia, and video data as discussed above.

As described in the foregoing, a system and method for providinglocation-based data on a wireless portable device supports scheduling,planning, navigation, and entertainment that is relevant to the userenvironment. This location-based relevancy brings a measure ofusefulness and immediacy that generic information cannot provide,allowing users to efficiently plan for the present and the future, oralternatively allowing users to pass away involuntary periods of idletime more enjoyably by accessing location-based entertainment that isautomatically provided.

From the above description of the invention it is manifest that varioustechniques can be used for implementing the concepts of the presentinvention without departing from its scope. Moreover, while theinvention has been described with specific reference to certainembodiments, a person of ordinary skills in the art would recognize thatchanges can be made in form and detail without departing from the spiritand the scope of the invention. As such, the described embodiments areto be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive. Itshould also be understood that the invention is not limited to theparticular embodiments described herein, but is capable of manyrearrangements, modifications, and substitutions without departing fromthe scope of the invention.

1. A wireless portable device for providing location-based data to auser in a defined geographical area including a plurality of points ofinterest, the wireless portable device comprising: a transmitterconfigured to transmit location information to a wireless server over awireless network, wherein the location information is indicative of alocation of the wireless portable device within the defined geographicarea; a receiver configured to receive the location-based data from thewireless server over the wireless network periodically andautomatically, based on the location of the wireless portable devicecorresponding to one of the plurality of points of interest toautomatically provide to the user of the wireless portable device thelocation-based data relating to the one of the plurality of points ofinterest; and an expansion bay to connect an expansion cartridge to thewireless portable device, wherein the expansion cartridge is configuredto receive the location-based data while the wireless portable device isin a low power sleep state, and wherein the expansion cartridgecomprises a communications device configured to receive thelocation-based data via a secondary communications channel establishedwith a second wireless network when the wireless portable device is outof a range of the wireless network.
 2. The wireless portable device ofclaim 1, wherein the location information is determined by the wirelessportable device.
 3. The wireless portable device of claim 1, furtherconfigured as a handheld videogame system including a display and aninput control.
 4. The wireless portable device of claim 3, wherein theexpansion cartridge is further configured as a videogame cartridgeincluding program data.
 5. The wireless portable device of claim 1,wherein the wireless network comprises a plurality of wireless hotspotsin communication with the receiver.
 6. The wireless portable device ofclaim 1, wherein the expansion cartridge is further configured toreceive location information from a plurality of infrared transmitters.7. The wireless portable device of claim 6, wherein the locationinformation includes a unique identifier associated with an infraredtransmitter connected to the expansion cartridge.
 8. The wirelessportable device of claim 1, wherein the location-based data on thewireless portable device enables the user to navigate an interactive mapwith filtering, routing, scheduling and event reservation capabilities.9. The wireless portable device of claim 1, wherein the location-baseddata on the wireless portable device enables the user to interact withentertainment relating to the one of the plurality of points ofinterest.
 10. A method for use by a wireless portable device forproviding location-based data to a user in a defined geographical areaincluding a plurality of points of interest, the method comprising:transmitting location information to a wireless server over a wirelessnetwork, wherein the location information is indicative of a location ofthe wireless portable device within the defined geographical area;receiving the location-based data from the wireless server over thewireless network periodically and automatically, based on the locationof the wireless portable device corresponding to one of the plurality ofpoints of interest to automatically provide to the user of the wirelessportable device that location-based information relating to the one ofthe plurality of points of interest; communicating with an expansion carconnected to an expansion bay of the wireless portable device, whereinthe expansion cartridge is configured to receive the location-based datawhile the wireless portable device is in a low power sleep state, andwherein the expansion cartridge comprises a communications deviceconfigured to receive the location-based data via a secondarycommunications channel established with a second wireless network whenthe wireless portable device is out of a range of the wireless network.11. The method of claim 10, wherein the location information isdetermined by the wireless portable device.
 12. The method of claim 10,further configured as a handheld videogame system including a displayand an input control.
 13. The method of claim 12, wherein the expansioncartridge is further configured as a videogame cartridge includingprogram data.
 14. The method of claim 10, wherein the wireless networkcomprises a plurality of wireless hotspots in communication with areceiver for receiving the location-based data from the wireless server.15. The method of claim 10, wherein the expansion cartridge is furtherconfigured to receive location information from a plurality of infraredtransmitters.
 16. The method of claim 15, wherein the locationinformation includes a unique identifier associated with an infraredtransmitter connected to the expansion cartridge.
 17. The method ofclaim 10, wherein the location-based data on the wireless portabledevice enables the user to navigate an interactive map with filtering,routing, scheduling and event reservation capabilities.
 18. The methodof claim 10, wherein the location-based data on the wireless portabledevice enables the user to interact with entertainment relating to theone of the plurality of points of interest.